English Listening: The Worst Bus Ride Ever | Episode 02

Listen to a story about the world bus ride I have ever had!

You’ll also learn when to drop the h sound at the beginning of the pronouns “him,” “his,” and “he.”

Welcome to the English Teacher Melanie Podcast, a podcast for intermediate to advanced English learners who want to improve their English listening and speaking skills!

Each episode includes a story and a pronunciation tip. In the story, I use core vocabulary, the most common words in English, to tell a real world story. The pronunciation tip will help you understand natural spoken English.

You’ll hear the story twice. The first time, the story is a little slower than normal. It sounds funny because I used editing software to change the speed of the story and make it slower. After the pronunciation tip, you’ll hear the story again, but at a regular speed.

THE STORY

On a recent Friday night, I went downtown Toronto for a night out with friends. I really don’t like driving downtown. There’s so much traffic crowded into a very small space, and parking is so expensive! I decided to take the bus instead. There’s an express bus from my suburb that will take me straight downtown without stopping. The buses are really nice and the seats are really comfortable. I thought it would be more relaxing and less stressful than driving, but I was wrong!

On that Friday night there were tons of people heading downtown, so the bus was packed. My friend and I couldn’t get 2 seats together, so we had to sit on opposite sides of the aisle. I had the great misfortune to sit next to a complete stranger who insisted on telling me his entire life story … for 45 minutes! I didn’t want to be rude to him, but I really didn’t feel like talking to him. I just wanted to rest & relax. I tried to ignore him and look uninterested, but that didn’t work. He just kept talking. It sounded like he had a really sad life. At the end of the bus trip, he asked me to go out with him and then he tried to give me his phone number. What was he thinking? I don’t think he was all that bright.

To make things worse, the bus was so packed that people were standing in the aisle and sitting on the aisle floor. There was a guy sitting on the floor next to me who had not showered for days. Not only did he smell of B.O., but he started eating the smelliest crackers ever. He ate the entire package. It was disgusting.

You know, I think I would have been better off driving downtown instead of taking the bus!

PRONUNCIATION TIP

WHEN TO DROP THE H SOUND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRONOUNS HIM, HIS, and HE.

This transcript uses IPA symbols to represent sounds and teach pronunciation. Learn more about the IPA here.

In the story, I used the pronouns he, him, and his frequently. Did you notice that I didn’t fully pronounce them?

Listen carefully:I tried to ignore him…I don’t think he was all that bright.What was he thinking?

Pronouns are functions words. They’re grammar words. They need to be there for the sentence to be grammatically correct, but they’re not important words. Function words are not fully pronounced in a sentence.

When any pronoun with h is in the middle of the sentence (and NOT at the beginning), you don’t need to pronounce the h. You can drop the h, and then link the pronoun to the previous consonant sound.

Then he becomes /ðɛni/was he becomes /wəzi/ignore him becomes /ɪgˈnoɚɪm/

Listen to the story again. Can you hear more examples of pronouns without the h sound?

Comments

I have a question, when you say ‘In addition parking downtown “costs” an arm and a leg’ I heard “cost” instead of “costs” am I right? I heard the audio several times and I still continue hearing “cost”. I hope you answer me.

I listened to the podcast again, and I did say ‘costs.’ ‘Costs’ ends with the -sts consonant cluster. In the listening lesson ‘Baby Gifts’ and I explain how to pronounce this cluster. This might help you to hear the cluster better in ‘costs’!

Hi Melanie,
When I listened this podcast, I had a question to a sentence “I find it difficult to drive on roads with streetcar tracks. “. Would it be also right if I say ” I find it is difficult to…”? Thanks. Vanessa

Can I tell you about MY worst bus ride ever? Here it is. I took a mini-bus (actually a van) from Nan, Thailand to Chiang Mai, Thailand. During the bus trip, the driver sped around blind corners WHILE passing other cars. That means we were on the wrong side of the road and he couldn’t see more than 50 meters. My hands were white from holding the safety strap. Now I know the reason Thailand is the 4th most dangerous place in the world to take a bus.

Good morning teacher
I’m thai, I am trying to learn more in english then met you and telling everyone that I know to join this excellence webside together. I intend to listen in every lesson, for “The worst bus ride ever!” it is very funny for me, it just lovely experience of you. ^^!
Thanks for your kindness.

Hi Dear Melanie
I m a teacher of english from Iran. I stumbled on your site by chance and believe me I found a treasure trove there. I keep introducing your site to my students and they also have found it quite innovative and helpful. Thak you for the good job.
Dehghn

Hope you are doing well. Your podcasts are so entertaining that it is a pleasure to learn english with you.
Very interesting stories you are sharing with us. This bus ride ( at least for me ) is hilarious. I can see your face having to put up for two hours a next seat and complete stranger that never stopped talking and, a bonus from the bus company a filthy and smelly passenger sitting close to you munching crackers.
WOW, what it was to be a relaxed ride to downtown turned out to be a nightmare that Melanie wouldn´t wish to her worst enemy ( if any). hahahaha

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About Melanie

I help English learners move from the classroom into the real world by teaching you real world sentences and helping you understand natural spoken English. I also help you find the best study tips and training techniques that work for you!